DEI Going Jobless: NBC Joins Media Trend And Cuts Diversity Journalists

Layoffs hit NBC News this week with the network division facing cuts ahead of Comcast’s spinoff of Versant. About 150 jobs have been eliminated so far which only represents 7% of the total newsroom staff.  However, the company has been less forthcoming on where the jobs are being cut:  The majority of layoffs are targeting Diversity and Equity teams.

DEI staff from specialized verticals focus on culture and identity-based stories. These teams were reportedly eliminated in their entirety, with only a handful of staff (up to 5) potentially retained for freelance contributions.

NBC News eliminated the majority of teams dedicated to covering Black, Asian American, Latino and LGBTQ+ groups as part of its layoffs, according to two sources familiar with the matter, a significant culling as the Peacock network separates from its sister news network, MSNBC.  A number of media outlets have either refused to report these details or they have outright lied, claiming that the layoffs don’t focus on specific teams. 

To admit that mass firings are now decapitating DEI related offices would be to admit that conservatives and the alternative media were right in their predictions over the past several years.  Woke hiring has been a disaster for progressive news companies.  

The latest layoffs follow a series of staff cuts in 2025, including those announced by CNN, Vox Media and HuffPost.  Many more are on the horizon. The pace of these announcements rivals the carnage of the winter of 2024, when at least 15 news organizations announced mass layoffs. At least 10,000 corporate  journalists have been laid off in the last three years – that’s more than 1 in 10 editors and reporters employed in the industry, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The firings are not unexpected given NBC News’ dwindling audience numbers.  The majority of the outlet’s programming lost 15% to 20% of viewers from 2020 to 2024.  This plunge runs in line with every other progressive media source; most Americans are fed up with establishment propaganda, political spin, the omission of facts and direct disinformation.  The public is well aware that corporate outlets function as a bullhorn for the far-left establishment, and they are walking away.

Mass layoffs reflect the media and entertainment industry’s larger retreat from the sham of diversity, equity and inclusion. Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain, has removed mentions of diversity from its website and said it would stop publishing demographic data.

Disney has also rebranded its internal DEI efforts last week to “Opportunity & Inclusion” and cut a number of staff. 

NBC and its parent company, Comcast, have come under federal scrutiny for their diversity programs. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr sent a letter to Comcast in February saying he would investigate the company for its DEI propaganda, alleging the company has “executives specifically dedicated to promoting DEI across the TV and programming side of the business.”

Keep in mind, DEI is a widely organized agenda funded by western government, major banks, NGOs and corporations like BlackRock and Vanguard.  It is not a grassroots ideological movement, but a highly scripted creation – A Frankenstein’s monster designed to saturate western programming with far-left messaging.  DEI layoffs are part of a much needed healing process.  Nothing of value has been lost.